The Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, shares his thoughts on his journey to the throne and why he has not remarried since the death of his wife, among other issues.
In your journey to the throne, you seem to be the only one on everyone’s lips. Were you aware of this, and what do you think was responsible?
It’s been over seven years now, but I can tell you that I wasn’t aware; I didn’t even know I was a prince. Is it not when I am aware that I am a prince that I will know I am entitled to the throne? However, I knew that my late dad was very close to the palace; he was a chief and visited the palace often.
With the benefit of hindsight, I also knew that as part of Yoruba culture, when naming my children, my father would give them names like "Ade" (which means crown), something reflective of royalty, pointing to the fact that you come from a royal family. But what’s my role in whatever names my father gave to his grandchildren? I wasn’t paying close attention, so I never had any inkling.
But somehow, very close to my father’s demise, we established a club called The Collectives. The club is still running, and we often use the platform to support our traditional rulers. It was at one of those functions that I attended that my predecessor, the late Akarigbo, Oba Michael Sonariwo, pointed to me and said, “And you will be running away from home; don’t you know you’re the next in line?” I just rolled my eyes and walked away, never taking him seriously.
I even thought Baba (Oba Sonariwo) had taken enough whiskey and beer, so he was free to say whatever he liked. I just moved on. However, after the passing of Kabiyesi, people began talking about me succeeding the late Kabiyesi. Unfortunately, my father had passed before then, and there was no guidance at all. Funny enough, I didn’t even know the name of our ruling house.
Someone later came to me with a gazette that said it was the turn of the Torungbuwa Ruling House, and I knew that my late dad was the Otunba Oloore of Torungbuwa. I said, “So, this is where this is coming from,” but even then, I wasn’t interested. I have my focus in life; I just wanted to continue with my insolvency accounting profession. I told my mum too, and she said she would support my decision. I then took off to the UK to visit my family.
Was that when it was rumoured that you had run away?
Yes, they said my mum, who knew nothing, had told me to run away, but that wasn’t true. May God forgive them all. It was during that trip, however, that I reflected on everything and decided to consider the offer. With all the noise and publicity surrounding my name as the next person to succeed the late Akarigbo, one would have thought that once I said yes, they would just put the crown on my head and that the crowning would be easy. But it wasn’t.
Once I made up my mind to take up the challenge, people started showing interest from all directions. When we had the family meeting, there were 19 people contesting, including three or four professors. Honestly, if I had known the opposition would be this intense, I would not have shown interest, but here we are today, to the glory of God.
Seven years down the line, what do you have to say as the Akarigbo of Remoland?
It’s been a mixture of experiences, but I can confidently tell you I have no regrets. It’s been highly rewarding, satisfying, and challenging too. The throne comes with huge responsibilities, even though I don’t have a budget. I am the chief security officer, I am the chief welfare officer. If people are fighting over there, they will call me. If people can’t get food to eat, they call me. If a husband and wife are fighting, they call me. We handle all these with joy.
Despite the attempts by politicians to reduce the roles of traditional rulers, there is something innate about our culture regarding the traditional ruler's stool. People believe so much in this stool, and it is highly revered. The love for the stool is amazing, and I think we must preserve it.
Since you became the traditional ruler of Remoland, can you see some of your plans and visions coming to fruition?
Yes, quite a lot. Remo is different now. There is peace, which is necessary for any socio-economic development. We thank God, even though we’re not yet where we want to be. What about our growth and development in terms of several companies that have moved in and federal presence? We now have a passport office, so people don’t have to go to the state capital to get their passports done. We have a multi-door judicial centre, among other developments.
The industries springing up are enormous. We say that Ogun State is the investment destination of choice for Nigeria, but Remo is the investment destination of Ogun State. We also established the Remo Development Growth and Foundation to be at the forefront of pushing for the development of Remoland in all areas. We had our maiden Remo Day on December 27 last year. Let everyone mark this date in their calendars because every 27th of December is now for the celebration of Remo Day.
The maiden edition we had in December was great; the President (Bola Tinubu) couldn’t make it due to his tight schedule, but his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the governor himself, former governors, a host of captains of industry, and distinguished sons and daughters of Remoland were there to celebrate with us. The feedback and deluge of greetings I received have been impressive. The next edition will definitely be superb.
What have you missed due to your status as a traditional ruler?
I have missed a lot. I can’t go to restaurants and eat. Even when I go to parties, I can’t eat, even though I am hungry. But I am now used to it, so it’s no longer an issue. I also can’t go out to see people or watch movies as I wish, but the trade-off is worth it. It’s part of the sacrifices to serve the people, and I am enjoying it.
Some fleeing bandits from the North-East are reportedly coming to the South-West. Are you worried about this development?
We are very concerned. We know who the chief security officer of the state is constitutionally, but in reality, we also know that traditional rulers are the chief security officers of their respective domains. So, we are concerned, alarmed, and worried. I think every domain will continually be proactive in scaling up security. We’ve committed many resources to strengthening our security architecture in Remoland.
Beyond the police and the Amotekun Corps, we have our own arrangements that we are funding. We are getting intelligence about the fleeing bandits from the North-East, but Remoland will not be a haven for any bandit running away from the security forces in the North-East. You can be sure that such criminals will be caught and face the consequences.
What should governments in the South-West be doing to fight off this threat?
They should be more alert, and the security agencies should redouble their efforts. This also highlights the need for state policing, although we need to be careful with it. If done well, it will not only create jobs but strengthen our security architecture. In America, even tiny communities have well-structured community policing that helps fight crime. We can replicate the same here.
The frequent cult clashes in Sagamu have decreased. There has been some silence for a while now. What has happened?
I like the word ‘silence.’ We are trying, but we cannot afford to relax or lose our guard. It’s not as if the issue has completely disappeared; it still tries to rear its ugly head, but we rise in unison to nip it in the bud. Eternal vigilance is our watchword. When we hear things, we act swiftly. We’ve also been engaging continuously. We know they are not ghosts, so we have devised a way for them to communicate with us. We’ve told them that if anything happens, everyone will pay for it.
We sincerely hope and pray that we can continue this way, because it’s already taking a toll on us, especially concerning finances and other resources. About six of my traditional rulers are in charge of security. They also have their own problems to solve, yet they are doing this job pro bono.
What about the amnesty program you initiated in conjunction with the Ogun State Police Command?
Yes, we did that because we knew that the guys had lots of illegal firearms. Many submitted their arms, but we know some still didn’t. However, the message has been heard. Before, you would see them in broad daylight walking around with guns, but if they dare try that now, they will be caught and face the consequences. We won’t rest on our laurels.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I love to play table tennis; I’m very good at it and don’t get easily defeated. I also love to walk around and watch television. I enjoy good movies, be it Bollywood, Nollywood, or Hollywood. I like to laugh a lot. I love the movies our young people are doing now; they are good and top-notch. I was in Lagos in December for the premiere of Christmas in Lagos, produced by our princess, Jadesola Osiberu. It was excellent. I ran into Femi Adebayo and Chioma at the event and praised them for their exceptional talents and what they are doing to elevate the film industry. For instance, Femi Adebayo’s "Seven Doors"
How do you balance tradition and religion?
I give unto the Ceaser what belongs to Ceaser. I won’t stand here and denigrate our tradition, even though I also believe that there are some of our culture and traditions we must move slightly away from. That was why I was a major proponent of the new Oba’s law in the state, especially as it concerns the installation and burial of traditional rulers.
People should also know that the law didn’t tinker so much about installation but the burial of traditional rulers. It forbids mutilation and denigration of the body of an Oba. The law permits you to do your rites, but it gives you a limit that you can go; don’t touch the body. This law still allows people to do their burials in a Christian, Muslim, or traditional way but you can’t mutilate the body of the late king. So, by and large, I attend to all even though I believe that some excesses could be curbed, things should be done decently and with moderation.
What is the uniqueness of Remo people?
Remo people are very resourceful and highly educated. Look at Ikenne Remo, the hometown of our baba, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then I don’t know of any town that can match the number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria from that town, and we are also very friendly and that is why investors have continued to come to our domain.
Any taboo?
If we go deep down into the towns that make up the Remoland, I don’t think there is any. We do our Oro and Eluku festival when certain people are told not to move around but civilisation has tampered with some of these things. The Oro is now done at night, maybe from 11pm to 4am. Who will be moving about around this time? Again, it is for a specific number of days.
Since the transition of Olori about four years ago, you have not remarried, and some are saying that you have pledged to remain like that to preserve the loving memory of your late wife. Are these people correct?
We have three wonderful princes of Remo. I had a very beautiful, excellent, and loving relationship with my wife. Sometimes when you have something beautiful going on for you, don’t go and spoil it. It’s just a different ball game having to add to the young boys who you want to raise, and you don’t want any trouble, but it is not to say ‘never, it can’t happen’, neither have I also pledged or taken an oath never to remarry. Yes, she was an excellent wife; we were together for almost 30 years. It could be a bit difficult starting afresh, but everything is in the future, maybe later in the future.
Culled from Punch Newspaper
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